Wellspring Summer Camp David B. McCracken Fund

Wellspring’s Youth Summer Day Camp is where it all began for Wellspring 52 years ago and we’re still going strong. Children ages 4 to 17 participate in a wide variety of engaging educational activities including math, reading comprehension, critical thinking, and science activities. They also receive professional instruction in music, dance, and yoga, and enjoy multiple field trips to local parks, museums, and other attractions. Camp culminates in an exciting Celebration Day at the University of St. Francis’s downtown Performing Arts Center, where campers showcase the songs and dances they learned for family, friends, and the community.

Why are summer camps like ours important?
  • Youth are supervised during the vulnerable summer hours.
  • Food is provided at no cost to youth.
  • Camp supports youth to be physically active and to make healthy choices.
  • Camp supports academic achievement by combating summer learning loss.
  • Our caring staff and volunteers act as mentors to youth.

While other organizations offer summer experiences to Fort Wayne youth, Wellspring is one of the only free opportunities in the area. To ensure access, we not only offer the Camp at absolutely no charge, we provide free transportation by school buses (contracted through FWCS), which more than half of our youth rely on.

If you believe in the importance of keeping children educationally and recreationally engaged during the vulnerable summer months, then consider giving to the Wellspring Summer Camp David B. McCracken Fund. Your gift will help provide a stable and permanent source of funding for Camp allowing more of our resources to be utilized in other Wellspring programming.

Support our endowment today for a better tomorrow. It starts with YOU.



The David B. McCracken Wellspring Camp Endowment was established with an initial gift from his family and friends. David was a man dedicated to youth development and he spent his entire career working with youth as a coach, teacher, professor, and camp counselor and director.

From 1970 to his death in 2001, David operated the McCracken Camps, which grew from serving approximately 500 kids each summer to more than 3,000 kids each summer. He talked about and demonstrated basketball skills, but he also taught pride, teamwork, perseverance, and the value of hard work. David made a personal connection with campers and took his role as a mentor seriously; he believed in the power of camping to positively influence kids and help them build successful lives.

David and his wife Louise were long-time members of Grace Presbyterian Church, one of Wellspring’s supporting congregations. Louise served on Wellspring’s Board of Directors and was passionate about its mission of serving the educational, social, physical and recreational needs of area residents.